1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates to a biometric authentication device and a terminal thereof that serve to authenticate an individual by utilizing biometric information of human being.
2. Description of the Related Art
At the present, a method of employing a code number PIN (Personal Identification Number) stored in a magnetic card, an IC card, etc. exists as a method of authenticating a specified individual in drawing from a bank account, purchasing a commercial article and entering/exiting a facility. In this type of individual authentication method, however, if a card and a code number are stolen, a third party might easily break into the individual information.
Such being the case, with an increase in internal storage capacity of the IC card, there has been proposed a method of authenticating the individual by use of individual biometric information such as a fingerprint, an iris, a retina, a blood vessel image and a voiceprint.
Further, in the IC card utilized for the methods described above, an access to data in the IC card involves utilizing a terminal for the IC card, however, an authentication program on this terminal can be comparatively easily altered, and hence the individual registration data registered in the IC card might be falsified and stolen by such a vicious program.
A method of ensuring the security by utilizing a common key encryption method is proposed as a method of preventing information within the IC card from being falsified and stolen (refer to Patent document “JP 2001-134738 A”).
In the method utilizing the common key encryption method, however, there is a case of being unsuited in terms of nature of a service to be provided, depending on a mode of utilizing the IC card. This is especially a case in which the IC card is demanded to be utilized on a terminal at other company. For example, in the case of utilizing a cash card of a bank as the IC card, it is required that services such as depositing and paying money, etc. be gotten by using the IC card even at other banks. Further, in the case given above, the IC card is demanded to be used from on terminals installed at a convenience store, etc. other than the bank. Moreover, this is the same with a case of utilizing the IC card as electronic money.
Namely, there is a necessity enabling the use in a state of ensuring the same level of security even in systems of other companies, depending on the mode of utilizing the IC card.